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In 2008, fueled in part by the historic candidacy of Barack Obama to the highest office in the land, voters engaged in the political process in a once-in-a-generation way.

Though 2012 cannot recapture the sense of excitement, contests up and down the ballot merit some serious attention from Issaquah voters. So much attention is focused on the race for president, but Washington voters must decide important races for governor and other executive positions.

Voters also face a chance to make history through ballot measures to legalize marijuana and affirm the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

King County voters endorsed a $200 million property tax measure to build a juvenile justice facility, as King County Elections released initial results Tuesday night.

Officials asked voters to fund a replacement for the aging Youth Services Center, a juvenile detention facility in Seattle.

The measure appeared on a crowded primary ballot alongside federal, judicial, legislative and statewide contests. Voters in Issaquah and throughout Washington returned ballots in recent days, as the calendar inched closer to the summer primary — and the Tuesday deadline to postmark or return ballots.

The electorate chose the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, in the all-mail primary election. The top vote recipients then advance to an all-mail general election Nov. 6.

The ballot voters receive in the mailbox by late July is all but certain to contain some familiar names, as elected officials campaign for higher offices and other candidates try another run for elected office.

The period for candidates to enter races up for election on the August and November ballots ended May 18 in a buzz of activity.

Local legislators missed the most votes in the Legislature during the 2012 regular and special sessions.

Glenn Anderson

The information, released Tuesday in a report from the nonpartisan organization WashingtonVotes.org, ranks state Rep. Glenn Anderson at the top for both chambers, followed by state Sen. Cheryl Pflug and state Rep. Jay Rodne.

Anderson missed 95 votes to top the list for Senate and House of Representatives members. Pflug did not participate in 64 votes and Rodne did not participate in 62.

State Rep. Deb Eddy, a Kirkland Democrat representing Issaquah neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish, has announced plans to retire from the House of Representatives.

Deb Eddy

In a statement issued March 7, the former Kirkland mayor said she does not intend to run for re- election to the 48th Legislative District seat. The district is poised to lose Issaquah due to redistricting.

“When recruited, I promised to serve for six years, and I’ve fulfilled that commitment,” Eddy said in a statement. “It’s time to move on and find out what the next chapter of my life will look like.”

Washington State Redistricting Commission members shifted the 48th District elsewhere in the recent reshuffling. (Remaining Issaquah neighborhoods fall inside the 5th and 41st legislative districts.)

The realigned political maps go into effect for the November election.

In 2006, and again in 2008 and 2010, Eddy cruised to election and re-election against Republican opponents.

State Rep. Deb Eddy, a Kirkland Democrat representing Issaquah neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish, announced plans to retire from the House of Representatives.

Deb Eddy

In a statement issued Wednesday, the former Kirkland mayor said she does not intend to run for re-election to the 48th Legislative District seat. The district is poised to lose Issaquah due to redistricting.

“When recruited, I promised to serve for six years, and I’ve fulfilled that commitment,” Eddy said in a statement. “It’s time to move on and find out what the next chapter of my life will look like.”

Washington State Redistricting Commission members shifted the 48th District elsewhere in the recent reshuffling. (Remaining Issaquah neighborhoods fall inside the 5th and 41st legislative districts.)

The governor, a Democrat, signed the legislation Feb. 13 as local state Sen. Cheryl Pflug and other supporters looked on from the packed State Reception Room at the Capitol.

The landmark legislation put Washington among the half-dozen states and Washington, D.C., to allow same-sex marriage, but the measure could face a challenge on the November ballot before any weddings occur.

“It is a day historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights — a day when we did what was right, we did what was just, and we did what was fair,” Gregoire said. “We stood up for equality and we did it together — Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, young and old, and a variety of religious faiths. I’m proud of who and what we are in this state.”

The legislation cleared the state House of Representatives in a 55-43 decision Feb. 8 — the last hurdle before the measure reached the governor. Republican Glenn Anderson joined local Democrats in the House to approve a landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage.